Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Published by Ace, Penguin Audio on October 14, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Cozy Mystery
Pages: 368
Length: hours, minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful—to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.
The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the gossipy teapots from the kind-of-flaming swords, and above avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.
Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents—and each other—they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.
I was very impressed with a previous book by Julie Leong and decided to try The Keeper of Magical Things which is set in the same world but is totally standalone from her other book. Cozy fantasy couldn’t have a better representative.
Certainty has not been much of a success as a novice to become a mage. But she has a great group of friends and goes about her tasks cheerfully.  Her family is also loving and supportive.
Now she has is being sent on a task which fits her skills perfectly with a mage, Aurelia. Aurelia, who does not seem to have friends although she is beautiful and talented.  Certainty greets every disappointment and rude villager with a pleasant word. The village where they are working has not had magic for a long time. So it is the perfect place to store magical artifacts.
Certainty works diligently on documenting the magical things and storing them, but she also takes note of the villagers troubles and tries to help them in small ways. Along with the villagers, Aurelia begins to fall to Certainty’s charm and allows herself to be vulnerable and show her insecurities.
Both women have real growth in character as well as their friendships. They support each other in furthering their magic skills.  Of course, there is a man who can’t stand women who are doing well.  But this is a cozy fantasy with a happy ending no matter how dire things seem.
Narration:
Natalie Naudus is a familiar narrator but not one I recognize immediately when listening. She has taken on the character’s voices allowing me to focus on the story. The emotion infused in the tones added to the performance. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Natalie Naudus
Hello there! I’m Natalie.
I’m an Audie and Earphones award winning audiobook narrator of over 400 titles, but I started out as an opera singer. Now I perform in my booth: relishing the emotional journey through each book, finding a unique and honest voice for each character, doing my utmost to honor the words of the author.
I curate my catalog to include works I’m passionate about. I especially love recording Queer fiction, books by Asian American authors, and anything with beautiful writing and big feelings.Â
I maintain a robust social media presence, with a combined reach of over two hundred thousand followers.
I also run a Patreon of original Sapphic short stories in audio!
About Julie Leong
Julie Leong is the USA Today and Sunday Times internationally bestselling author of cozy and cozy-adjacent fantasy novels. The daughter of Malaysian Chinese immigrants, she split her childhood across suburban New Jersey and Beijing, China. Her debut novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, was published in the US/UK in November 2024, with translations forthcoming in German, French, Spanish, Czech, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Ukrainian.
Julie graduated from Yale University with degrees in Economics and Political Science. She lives in San Francisco, California with her husband and their spoiled rescue pup, Kaya. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making unnecessary spreadsheets and flambéing things.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I’m really looking forward to starting this soon. I’m behind because of issues with my blog/host migration so it’s been a very distracting week. Lovely review, Anne!
Thanks Tammy. I hope you love it as I did. Also I know it’s a bit of a change but I think you’ll end up well. If you have any questions you don’t want to ask Ashley, feel free to ask me. I know much, much less but I have a complete layman’s view.
This sounds wonderful and Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators💜
I don’t think you read too much in this genre but this is one I would highly recommend if you had any interest. It’s really a character study with magic toppings.
Thanks for that feedback as I am intrigued.
Great review. I’m curious to check out this author.
Thank you Angela. I’ve loved both her books!
Awww this sounds good and I adore the cover.
I hope you get a chance to try it.
I have the first book on my TBR but still haven’t read it. It looks beautiful and this one does as well. I’m looking forward to reading both of them.
I think you’ll love them. They are in the same world but unrelated so you could read them in any order. I loved them both. They are really character growth stories set with magic.
I have not read this author, but love the narrator. This sounds perfect for fall. Lovely review Anne.
I loved both her books. They are full of character growth and magic. I found them inspiring.
Oh, this sounds like something I’d really enjoy. I need to add her books to my wish list. Thanks for the review!
I do think you would love it. It’s so cozy and uplifting overall. This one and The Teller of Small Fortunes are set in the same world but totally standalone. I have really enjoyed them both.
I had a decent time with the other book in this series but I’m one the fence on this one. Are the women just friends (love books with strong female friendships) or did they try to make them a couple (less into women couples)?
They are co-workers and don’t know each other well. They start out as more enemies but gradually become friends. It does develop into a relationship but that’s not a strong focus in the book. Their work with the magical things and how magic affects their world is the real plot.
The cover is so pretty and it does sound like a good read! Great review!
It’s the cozy fantasy genre I’ve been reading a bit more. I really enjoyed it.